With stunning scenes and a vibrant sailing community, Miami is a hotspot for the wind and water industries. Cabrinha has made some exciting moves in recent years, the latest including a Miami skyline view! James Boulding tells us all about it in this article!

Miami might not be the first destination that springs to mind when talking about wind sports in the US, but with a vibrant sailing community and roots linked to the US Olympic sailing program, there is an abundance of conditions to satisfy the modern day waterman. A huge amount is happening on the water with an eclectic mix of passionate watersports users of all ages. Further still, there is an exciting and diverse mix of spots for all levels of rider right at the epicentre of one of America's most visited cities. 

Ranging further south down towards Key West or north into Jupiter, there are a plethora of spots to choose from all along the Florida coastline. With a wide array of different sized 'keys' (low lying sandy islands) located up and down the coast, there are some incredible flat water spots such as Matheson Hammock, with its butter flat waters, while the more ocean open beach fronts see waves and kicker locations.

Upon my arrival in Miami after a slightly groggy 7-hour flight from London, I was greeted with a stiff northerly breeze that perfectly suited a downwinder from the tip of South Beach down the coastline to Coconut Grove, our starting point. Along with the rest of the Miami-based team, we would take in the city sights, island hop via a selection of sand bars downwind and buzz underneath the Rickenbacker bridge, standing at a height of not much more than flying line lengths! Travelling by water is honestly the best way to see the Miami city skyline as the sun dips down behind the land and casts long shadows out into the water.  

Shooting in Miami was a new experience for me. While my primary reason for being there was to work with our commercial, logistics & retail teams, I find it hard to pass up an opportunity to shoot when the wind is up, and conditions are on point. Around Miami, when you add into the mix boat access, the world is your oyster, with a host of stunning cityscape backgrounds like no other. The affluent Downtown Miami skyline feels like it drops straight down to the water's edge, and kiting in front of the skyscrapers suddenly adds a magnified perspective.

Having boat access always makes shooting a lot easier, too; you can position yourself wherever you want with the riders and also control the distance between riders and the camera very easily. However, as much as I like shooting on board a boat, my favourite angles are always from the water. This is where I think you get the most dynamic imagery, and with a good housing with different ports for a variety of lenses, you can play with the water, rider and landscape across each composition. It was actually only after I had gotten out from a water session that Kent showed me a video of a huge bull shark right where we were!

A thrilling way to start the trip, but incredible urban downwinders weren't the only motivation for this trip. This year, Cabrinha has made a significant move. Located just a stone's throw from the water's edge, you'll find Cabrinha's new Commercial Operations HQ. Boasting stunning views of downtown Miami, it is immersed in the sailing community of Coconut Grove. It perfectly complements the brand HQ Cabrinha maintains in Maui. It is another clear indication of the brand's globally connected workforce that ties together R&D, sales, marketing and distribution. 

The move certainly ups the water time for staff, something Cabrinha US sales manager Brendan Healy outlines with glee:

"Our newly relocated Cabrinha/Dakine HQ offices, now in the heart of Coconut Grove in Miami, have already proven to be a major step forward for the brands. Although only about a 25-minute drive from our previous location, the new location has moved our staff exponentially closer to Miami's beaches and riding locations. We're now only a 5-minute drive from the beach, which opens the door significantly for equipment testing, product feedback, and an overall increase in quality of life for our entire staff. An interesting byproduct of this is that our staff is now more present at the local riding spots on days when we otherwise would not be. Our prototype and Cab Design Works products now have increased visibility on the water in Miami, which in turn generates a bit of a buzz around the brands for both existing and future products."

Living through the last two years with Covid, it's clear how important time on the water is for our mental and physical wellbeing. There's no better example of immersion in the local community than Cabrinha's Newfound Freedom Project, which offers people suffering from physical and mental challenges a route into watersports. In association with Estuary Brewing, the creation of a new 'Drifter Coast to Coast' lager forwards funds from each beer sold into the project, offering watersports experience weekends run by Cabrinha staff and team. The initiative kicked off last year and is set to expand through 2022, with more events building on the success of year 1. This year also sees a rollout of Drifter beers in local supermarkets in the Florida area, set up to increase finance for the program. A simple concept, but with a powerful and life-changing action driven by our immersion in the water no matter where life has taken us.

Frances Rivera, Cabrinha exports manager, heads up the operation in Miami with keen personal interest:

"It's pretty amazing to see all of the smiles and participants we had for Newfound Freedom in year 1. I look forward to meeting more people who have the hunger to learn and make kiteboarding and winging their hobby and see the positive benefits it can have. As more people with disabilities have taken up kiteboarding over the past years, the ultimate focus of this program is to supply specific centres with equipment designed to support their learning and progress through kite and wing surfing."

Cabrinha brand manager Dave Hastilow outlines his experience in Miami after a recent visit from the brands Maui HQ:

"I've been on many visits to Miami over the past couple of decades, and what has always impressed me is its residents' passion for being on the water. The new Commercial HQ location puts the staff right in the heart of the action and definitely allowed us to maximize our ocean time when we visited. Cabrinha's focus has always been to produce the best products and to help people have fun on the water - and a key part of that is the synergy within the team. We have two main locations, the Brand HQ in Maui and the Commercial HQ in Miami, but we work as one unit. We are colleagues but, more importantly, Cabrinha family who all share the same stoke and passion for what we do."

One of the highlights of the trip was watching Frances Rivera buzz the bridge. She's such a passionate kiter and rips fearlessly hard. She'd never tried going under the bridge, and there was a huge amount of potential for things to go wrong given the number of boats going through and the wind shadow. She nailed it for the first time ever, and the show of elation on her face, I think, said it all. This is the commitment and passion she takes into her role as Exports Manager working with partners. It's simply infectious, and I found myself whooping and hollering like a madman as she came through; it was actually hard to keep the camera stable!

Miami is a very eclectic and vibrant city. It is very different to Maui, the style of living is a lot faster paced, and people really know how to burn the candle at both ends. This translates to fun 24 hours a day and a great way to spend time on holiday. I can't forget to mention the incredible Mexican food that I was able to enjoy with the team during some evenings off. Being from the UK, we don't see this style of cuisine very often. I was blown away.

I say it a lot, and I know sometimes it sounds cliché, but the Cabrinha staff are something else. It's so friendly and fun, whether working or hanging out outside of work; everyone is so passionate about watersports and just being around the water. This translates to a great working ethic and a team that is very collaborative with their own thoughts and ideas always brought to the table across sales, marketing and product development. In the time I was there, we'd had good surf foiling, kite foiling, wing foiling and big air boosting sessions with the entire team. It's these deep-rooted passionate connections with staff that have steered the brand throughout the last 20+ years and culminated in the cutting edge product that hit the market. It's this same passion that moves an office 30 minutes closer to the water to make sure the after-work session is that much more possible.

 

By James Boulding
James Boulding has been a professional kiter for a number of years now; he’s travelled all over the globe and ridden in some of the best locations on the planet. An accomplished rider who features regularly at the wake style contests around the globe. James likes nothing more than a cup of tea and a biscuit, and, of course, the chance to explore new destinations with his camera and kite gear!

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